Exhibits

Learn why NASA sent its astronauts to Morehead Planetarium to learn about stars. Permanent exhibits are open during regular hours, special exhibits are open on the weekends, and additional hours during the summer schedule. Admission to all exhibits is free.

Our new exhibit "Firsts in Flight: A Hidden History," tells visitors about significant contributions made by African Americans -- particularly by African American women -- to our country's history of aviation and space flight.

One half of the circular hall exhibit focuses on African American contributors to aviation in the first part of the 20th Century -- from Emory Conrad Malik to the Tuskegee Airmen. This side is mainly organized around pioneering aviator Bessie Coleman and the people and events she inspired.

Do you expect to have access to clean water every day? What if you didn't have access to clean water? Do you think humans have enough water that falls from the clouds, flows through the streams and comes out of our pipes?

The exhibit "Water in Our World" explores the ways we get water, why we need to clean it and the future of this most precious resource. As you explore "Water in Our World," you'll experiment with different ways to make water "flow" through models and learn how much water your everyday activities require.

Permanent Exhibits

History Hallway

More than 60 astronauts have trained in celestial navigation at MPSC - including 11 of the 12 men who walked on the Moon! Learn about the history of Morehead through photos and artifacts used by the astronauts who trained here.

Highway of the Planets

Joseph Caldwell, first president of the UNC and professor of mathematics, was a dedicated astronomer. His devotion to the study of the night sky laid the foundation for astronomy at UNC.

Where American astronauts first met the stars...

After nearly a century without observational teaching of astronomy at UNC-Chapel Hill, a generous gift from John Motley Morehead III allowed for the creation of UNC's Morehead Planetarium. As the first planetarium in the South and the only one on a university campus, Morehead would eventually receive the distinct privilege of training more than 60 NASA astronauts between 1959 and 1975.